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Spectrum discussed at Chamber Coffee event

The Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Chamber Coffee event on Thursday, July 12, 2012, at the Sweetwater Country Club. The event was co-hosted by the Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Rick Rhoades, who is the administrator for rural affairs and Robert Howden of Texans For Economic Progress. AT&T also co-hosted the event. Randy Teakell is the local AT&T manager. Also speaking at the event was Bart Winegar, Technical Outreach Manager with Connected Texas. The discussion at the coffee regarded broadband availability in and around Sweetwater. With an increasing demand for high-speed wireless connections, Howden focused on spectrum, the airwaves that make wireless devices work. “As consumer demand for wireless skyrockets and networks become congested, dropped calls and spotty service may become common place,” Howden said. “Spectrum, which are the airwaves that make our wireless devices work, is a finite resource that’s allocated by the government for different uses. As demand for existing wireless spectrum is used up, it’s important that the government act quickly to free up more airwaves to carry wireless traffic. Spectrum isn’t just a concern for people with next generation devices on the fastest networks. Without access to enough spectrum, slow service and dropped calls will be a problem for everyone with wireless service.”Shown are Howden, Winegar, Teakell and Rhoades at the coffee event. Find more photos from the Chamber Coffee in today's paper.